Rotary card index with brake



Sept. 1, 1964 w. L

ROTARY CARD INDEX WITH BRAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 26. 1961 INVENTOR. Wz Z Zmm 1 1g Z 7 ATTORNEY Sept. 1, 1964 w. LANG 3,146,868

ROTARY CARD INDEX WITH BRAKE Filed May 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2" INVENTOR. 2* 7 WZZ ZZ d/m 1mg,

United States Patent 3,146,868 ROTARY CARDINDEX WITH BRAKE William Lang, Verona, N.J., assignor to The Bates Manufactoring Company, Orange, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey FiledMay 26, 1961, Ser. No. 112,880 6 Claims. (Cl. 192-8) This invention relates to a rotary card index of the type wherein aplurality of index cards are radially arranged on a carrier such as a barrel or tube which is rotatably mounted in a stand for the purpose of rotating the cards selectively into a convenient viewing position, and more particularly, the invention contemplates an operating mechanism including a brake for the rotatable carrier to prevent unintentional rotation of the carrier and the cards.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction, combination and arrangement of a supporting stand, a tube or barrel having the cards mounted thereon, a shaft on which the tube or barrel is relatively rotatably mounted, and a combined operating mechanism and brake having a part mounted on the stand and other parts connected respectively to the shaft and the barrel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary card index of this character which shall include a simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive construction wherein the barrel may always be rotated freely in either direction by rotation of the shaft, for example through a finger piece or knob, the brake shall be automatically applied to prevent rotation of the barrel and the cards when pressure is exerted on the cards in at least one direction.

Still another object is to provide such a rotary card index wherein the brake is applied and released upon application of pressure on the cards in opposite directions, respectively.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a rotary card index with a brake, embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 22' of FIGURE 1- with portions. of the brake shown in elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary central vertical sectional view through one end of the barrel; the corresponding end of the shaft and the combined brake mechanism;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 44l of FIGURE 3 showing the file at rest;

FIGURE 5 is a similar view showing the brake operatedinto release position for free rotation of the barrel and cards upon application of pressure to the cards in one direction;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view showing the brake applied by application of the pressureto the cards in the other direction;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing a modification of the invention; and

FIGURE 8 is a transverse vertical sectional View on the plane of the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

Specifically describing the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1-6, the reference character A designates a stand or support for the rotary index which in the present instance is shown as formed of sheet metal and having a base portion 1 and two parallel upstanding arms 2. A shaft 3 is journaled horizontally in bearings 4 in the arms 2 of the stand, one of which, for convenience, is formed integrally with a brake disc 5 that preferably is firmly and rigidly secured to the corre- 3,146,858 Patented Sept. 1, 1-964 sponding arm 2 of the stand by suitable means such as rivets 6; On opposite ends of the shaft, outside the corresponding arms 2 of the stand, are; rigidly secured knobs7 and 8 for rotating the shaft.

A barrel 9' for supporting the index cards 10 has a pair of 'hubmembers 11 freely rotatably mounted on the shaft 3, and for convenience in construction, the hub membersmay have integral circular rails 12 coaxial with the shaft, projecting from the outer periphery of the drum and having enlarged bead-like rims 14 to coact with notches 15 in the flexible cards 10 for separably connecting the cards to the barrel.

As usual, the cards are radially disposed with respect to the barrel and shaft and can be moved into and out of convenient viewing position by rotation of the shaft. A dog 16' has a hub portion 17 connected to the shaft as by a set screw 18 and has projecting therefrom a finger 19- that extends between the ends 20 and 21 of a brake ring 22 which has a resilient split ring intermediate portion 23 that normally freely and frictionally rides in a V-shaped groove 5a in the brake disc. One end 20 of the brake ring extends outwardly from the intermediate portion loosely through a notch 24 in the barrel 9 while the other end extends outwardly from the portion 23 loosely through a circumferentially extending wider notch 25 in the barrel, providing a lost-motion engagement between each end portion of the split ring and the barrel. The split ring portion and the end portions 20 and 21 are in a common plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the barrel and the brake disc.

With this construction, the barrel and the cards may be freely rotated in either direction upon rotation of the shaft by either of the knobs; the dog finger 19 engages one or the other of the ends 20, 21 of the brake ring to push the barrel in the same direction as the rotation of the knob. The width of the wider notch 25 is such that the edges thereof will engage the end 21 of the brake ring in case of sudden or excessively rapid rotation of the barrel so as to prevent undue flexing of the brake ring. However, the construction is such that when pressure is applied to one of the cards in one direction, the brake is applied to prevent rotation of the barrel and cards, while when the pressure is applied to the card in the opposite direction, the barrel and cards may freely rotate. More specifically describing the operation and referring to FIGURE 5, upon pressure being applied to a card in such a manner as to rotate the barrel in the direction shown by the arrows in FIGURE 5, the brake ring is expanded away from the brake disc by engagement of the wall of the notch 24 with the end 20 of the brake ring, thewider notch 25 providing clearance for this operation. However, pressure being applied to the card in the opposite direction as shown in FIGURE 6, the brake ring through its inherent resiliency will be contracted about the disc and the pressure of the notch 24 on the end 20 of the brake ring will tend to tighten the split ring portion of the brake ring into frictional engagement with the brake disc and thus prevent or frictionally restrain rotation of the barrel and the cards in said' direction. One important advantage of this function and result is that the cards may be easily separated and the desired card at the top of the index can be written upon because the brake resists the pressure incident to writing that might otherwise rotate the card and barrel away from the writer. When it is desired, however, the cards and the barrel can be easily rotated in the other direction for easily and quickly bringing the desired card to a viewing position without the necessity for manipulating the knobs.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in FIG- URES 7 and 8 wherein the brake resists rotation of the cards and barrel upon application of pressure on the cards in either direction, that is, toward or away from the operator, but the cards and barrel can be easily rotated in either direction by rotation of either knob.

In this form of the invention, the stand may be identical with the stand A and the shaft 26 corresponding to the shaft 3 is journaled in the arms 27 of the stand by bearings 28 one of which also serves as a brake disc and is non-rotatably secured to the arm of the stand by suitable fastening elements as by pins 28a, screws, rivets or the like and has a circumferential V-shaped groove 29 therein in which is located the resilient split ring portion 30 of a brake ring 31 whose ends 32 and 33 project laterally in spaced relation to each other. The finger 34 of a dog 35 which is connected to the shaft 26 is located between the end portions 32 and 33 of the brake ring, and at the side of each brake ring extensions 32 and 33 opposite the dog finger is a lug 36 rigidly connected to and extending inwardly of the barrel 37 corresponding to the barrel 9 upon which the cards are mounted.

The brake ring 30 is normally free to rotate on the brake disc and there is clearance or lost ,motion between the dog and the brake ring extensions 32 and 33 and between said brake ring extensions and the corresponding lugs 36 so that when the dog finger is rotated in either direction through the knob 38 at either end of the shaft 26, one of the brake ring extensions is forced into engagement with the corresponding lug 36 so as to rotate the barrel 37. However, upon application of pressure to the cards or the barrel in either direction, one of the lugs 36 will engage the corresponding brake ring extension and cause contraction of the brake ring about the brake disc so as to set up frictional resistance to rotation of the barrel. With this construction, the cards may be written upon from either side, the pressure incident to such writing being resisted by the brake mechanism, but the cards and barrel can be rotated by rotation of the shaft.

While I have shown and described two embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention and that modifications and changes can be made in the details of construction of the rotary card index within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a stand, a shaft horizontally journaled in said stand, a barrel rotatably mounted coaxially on said shaft, a brake disc rigidly mounted on the stand coaxially with said shaft, and means including a brake ring having a resilient split ring portion encircling said brake disc normally in freely but frictionally circumferentially slidable relation to the disc, said brake ring having end portions extending outwardly from said split ring portion in spaced opposed relation to each other in a common plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the barrel and the brake disc, at least one end portion having lost-motion engagement with the barrel and there being means rigidly connected to said shaft and disposed between and closely adjacent both of said end portions, said means being engageable with one or the other of said end portions upon rotation of the shaft in either of opposite directions, respectively, providing for transmission of motion from said shaft through said brake ring to said barrel with said ring portion expanded from said brake disc i to permit free rotation of the shaft and said barrel upon application of turning force to said shaft in either of opposite directions and also providing for engagement of said one end portion of the brake ring by the barrel to contract said brake ring into frictional braking engagement with the brake disc upon application of force to the barrel tending to rotate the barrel in at least one direction.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a lost-motion engagement between each end portion of the brake ring and said barrel providing for engagement of one or the other of said end portions of the brake ring by the barrel to contartct said brake ring into frictional braking engagement with the brake disc upon application of force to the barrel tending to rotate the barrel in either of opposite directions.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the barrel is engageable with the other end portion of the brake ring to serve as a stop and prevent undue flexing of the brake ring upon transmission of motion through the brake ring from the shaft to the barrel.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the second-named means includes a dog projecting laterally from said shaft and disposed between said end portions of the brake ring to engage one thereof upon rotation of the shaft in each of opposite directions.

5. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the second-named means includes a dog projecting laterally from said shaft and disposed between said end portions of the brake ring to engage one thereof upon rotation of the shaft in each of opposite directions, and there is a lost motion engagement between each end portion and the barrel including recesses in said barrel into each of which extends one of said end portions of the brake ring to transmit motion from the shaft to the barrel, one of said end portions in one of said recesses providing for transmission of motion from said dog to said barrel and the other end portion in the other recess limiting flexing of the brake ring upon sudden and excessively forceful engagement of thedog with the end portions.

6. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the second-named means includes a dog projecting laterally from said shaft and disposed between said end portions of the brake ring to engage one thereof upon rotation of the shaft in each of opposite directions, and there is a lost-motion engagement between each end portion of the brake ring and the barrel including an inward projection on said barrel at the side of each said end portion of the brake ring opposite said dog, providing for contraction of the brake ring to frictionally resist rotation of the barrel upon application of pressure to the cards in either direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,661,652 Carlson Mar. 6, 1928 1,874,215 Ackerman et al. Aug. 30, 1932 1,965,878 Briggs July 10, 1934 2,500,709 Scholfield Mar. 14, 1950 2,612,970 Discount Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 134,060 Australia Aug. 30, 1949 165,902 Australia Nov. 7, 1955 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A STAND, A SHAFT HORIZONTALLY JOURNALED IN SAID STAND, A BARREL ROTATABLY MOUNTED COAXIALLY ON SAID SHAFT, A BRAKE DISC RIGIDLY MOUNTED ON THE STAND COAXIALLY WITH SAID SHAFT, AND MEANS INCLUDING A BRAKE RING HAVING A RESILIENT SPLIT RING PORTION ENCIRCLING SAID BRAKE DISC NORMALLY IN FREELY BUT FRICTIONALLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SLIDABLE RELATION TO THE DISC, SAID BRAKE RING HAVING END PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SPLIT RING PORTION IN SPACED OPPOSED RELATION TO EACH OTHER IN A COMMON PLANE THAT IS PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE BARREL AND THE BRAKE DISC, AT LEAST ONE END PORTION HAVING LOST-MOTION ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BARREL AND THERE BEING MEANS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT AND DISPOSED BETWEEN AND CLOSELY ADJACENT BOTH OF SAID END PORTIONS, SAID MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID END PORTIONS UPON ROTATION OF THE SHAFT IN EITHER OF OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, PROVIDING FOR TRANSMISSION OF MOTION FROM SAID SHAFT THROUGH SAID BRAKE RING TO SAID BARREL WITH SAID RING PORTION EXPANDED FROM SAID BRAKE DISC TO PERMIT FREE ROTATION OF THE SHAFT AND SAID BARREL UPON APPLICATION OF TURNING FORCE TO SAID SHAFT IN EITHER OF OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND ALSO PROVIDING FOR ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ONE END PORTION OF THE BRAKE RING BY THE BARREL TO CONTRACT SAID BRAKE RING INTO FRICTIONAL BRAKING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BRAKE DISC UPON APPLICATION OF FORCE TO THE BARREL TENDING TO ROTATE THE BARREL IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION. 